i88 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [October, 



There are two kinds of moths infesting bee-hives having similar 

 habits, but distinguishable in their size, Galleria mellonella, the 

 species under consideration, being much the larger. The generic 

 name Galleria was derived from the Latin word "Gallina," 

 meaning ' ' fowl, ' ' and was given to the insect by Linnaeus because 

 the wings of the moth at rest resembled the tail of a fowl; he 

 also added the specific name ' ' mellonella' ' from the Latin ' ' mel ," 

 or honey, supposing that the food of the caterpillar was the nectar 

 contained in the comb. Later discoveries by Fabricius resulted 

 in a correction of the name, changing it to " cereana," from 

 "cera," Latin for wax. The original name, however, by Lin- 

 naeus will remain the permanent one, although both naturalists 

 were wrong in their conclusions that honey or wax was the chief 

 diet. 



It is not among healthy colonies of bees that the moth may be 

 considered a formidable enemy, but it is undoubtedly a pest in 

 unprotected brood combs. In the honey-house or store-room, 

 where such have been deposited, the moth if unmolested finds 

 the right element for her progeny. Colonies will sometimes 

 become weakened either by poor wintering or the loss of a queen, 

 and into these the prolific moth will gain an entrance, and before 

 long the discouraged and forlorn bees find they are "eaten out 

 of house and home." 



In the months of April and May, toward dusk, the bee-keeper 

 may readily discover the ashy-brown moth dodging about the 

 hive's entrance; unlike most other moths in their more honorable 

 habits of flight she will crawl and run artfully around like a rob- 

 ber bee, watching for the coveted opportunity to pass the senti- 

 nels, who also see her. If the bees are sufficiently alert in pre- 

 venting her admission the moth explores the cracks and corners 

 about the bottom board depositing her eggs sometimes in clusters 

 or often singly in the dust made by plates of wax and pollen 

 accidentally dropped by the bees in the haste of unloading on a 

 busy day. These particles furnish the first few meals to the 

 newly-hatched worms, whose increasing appetites soon direct 

 them to the greater feast inside the hive. 



The caterpillar, when full grown measures about an inch and 

 an eighth, is a dirty white with tiny dots and microscopic hairs. 

 Its dark brown head is furnished with powerful mandibles, re- 

 quired not so much in breaking wax as in burrowing through 



